2008 Woodie Awards
New Jersey needs more guns
Tim Garner
Issue date: 9/14/07 Section: Opinion
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After the recent shootings of four college students in Newark, NJ, Mayor Cory Booker immediately moved to fight illegal guns. This might seem like a good idea, but it is the wrong approach to fighting the violence in Newark. New Jersey already has excessively strict gun laws on the books. For safer cities, there should be more guns on the street in the hands of citizens.
A concealed weapon might have prevented the beating of Robert Wilkinson, a sixty year old Jersey City man. He was recently attacked by five teenage thugs who left him with cracked ribs and a broken knee. He likely would not have even needed to fire on his attackers. Displaying a gun would have been enough to scare them away.
Under current law, Wilkinson probably could not get a license to carry a gun in New Jersey. Licenses to carry handguns are restricted only to those who need a weapon for their jobs or those who can prove a pressing need for self-protection. It is almost impossible for an ordinary person to get a license to carry.
Citizens should be able to carry a handgun without showing a pressing need. The high crime in many of the state's cities is reason enough. Besides, the Constitution guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. In New Jersey, you can keep arms in your house after you get all the right permits and pass the background checks, but you probably can not legally bear them unless you work as a bail bondsman or security officer.
The current system of gun carry laws in New Jersey unfairly puts the burden on the citizen to prove his need for a gun. The system should be reformed to require the state to allow everyone but criminals to carry a gun.
A concealed weapon might have prevented the beating of Robert Wilkinson, a sixty year old Jersey City man. He was recently attacked by five teenage thugs who left him with cracked ribs and a broken knee. He likely would not have even needed to fire on his attackers. Displaying a gun would have been enough to scare them away.
Under current law, Wilkinson probably could not get a license to carry a gun in New Jersey. Licenses to carry handguns are restricted only to those who need a weapon for their jobs or those who can prove a pressing need for self-protection. It is almost impossible for an ordinary person to get a license to carry.
Citizens should be able to carry a handgun without showing a pressing need. The high crime in many of the state's cities is reason enough. Besides, the Constitution guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. In New Jersey, you can keep arms in your house after you get all the right permits and pass the background checks, but you probably can not legally bear them unless you work as a bail bondsman or security officer.
The current system of gun carry laws in New Jersey unfairly puts the burden on the citizen to prove his need for a gun. The system should be reformed to require the state to allow everyone but criminals to carry a gun.